A number of sources, from Fitch Ratings to UBS,�have decided that it's time for investors to get out of department stores. The argument is that customers are trending more toward specialty retailers, and that the benefit well for department store stocks is all but dried up. Other observers aren't sold on the idea, though, and the National Retail Federation ranks among the skeptics. Daniel Butler, a VP of retail operations with the Federation, said that department stores are actually outperforming the retail sector overall.
For investors, it may simply be a matter of being more selective. The range of department stores and performances is broad, so here are three of the bigger players, and how they stack up against one another.
J.C. Penney
At the bottom of the pile is J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP ) . I vacillate between thinking that J.C. Penney is about to go out of business and take everyone down with it and thinking that it's about to go out of business but liquidate its real estate to generate some value for investors. Either way, things at the retailer are not working out. Last quarter, both net sales and comparable sales were down more than 16%. The company's loss per share doubled from the quarter last year.
Top Specialty Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: S&P 500/Barra Value(SU)
Suncor Energy Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated energy company. The company involves in the development of petroleum resource basins in Canada's Athabasca oil sands; acquisition, exploration, development, production, and marketing of crude oil and natural gas in Canada and internationally; transportation and refining of crude oil; and marketing of petroleum and petrochemical products primarily in Canada. Its Oil Sands segment produces bitumen recovered from oil sands through mining and in-situ technology, and upgrades it into refinery feedstock, diesel fuel, and by-products. This segment?s products include gasoline and distillates. The company?s Natural Gas segment acquires, explores, develops, and produces natural gas, natural gas liquids, oil, and by-products from reserves located primarily in western Canada, the Northwest Territories, Alaska, and the Arctic Islands. Its International and Offshore segment engages in the exploration and pro duction of oil and gas in offshore Newfoundland and Labrador, in the North Sea, and in Libya and Syria. The company?s Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil at Suncor's refineries in Edmonton, Alberta; Montreal, Quebec; and Sarnia, Ontario in Canada, as well as in Commerce City, Colorado into a range of petroleum and petrochemical products for sale to retail, commercial, and industrial customers. It also transports crude oil through pipelines in eastern and western Canada, as well as through wholly-owned pipelines in Wyoming and Colorado; and produces specialty lubricants and waxes. In addition, this segment operates retail sites in Canada under the Petro-Canada brand; and in Colorado under Phillips 66 and Shell brands. Suncor Energy Inc. also engages in third-party energy trading activities. The company was formerly known as Suncor Inc. and changed its name to Suncor Energy Inc. in April 1997. Suncor Energy Inc. was founded in 1953 and is headquartered in Calgary , Canada.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Sam Collins]
The recent merger with Petro-Canada made Suncor Energy (NYSE: SU) one of Canada’s largest oil and gas producers. It is focused on Alberta’s vast Athabasca oil sands, making it independent of operations outside of North America.
Compared with other international oil companies, SU is not only safe from problems in the Middle East, but its profit margins increase greatly when oil rises above $80 per barrel, making it a hedge against rising prices due to Middle East tensions.?
Technically, SU broke from a saucer formation on Friday, with a long-term target of $50 and a trading target of $45.?
Top Specialty Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Teleflex Incorporated(TFX)
Teleflex Incorporated designs, manufactures, and distributes specialty medical devices for a range of procedures in critical care and surgery worldwide. It offers disposable medical products for critical care that includes medical devices used in critical care procedures for vascular access, respiratory care, anesthesia and airway management, treatment of urologic conditions, and other specialty procedures; and devices used in the treatment of patients with severe cardiac conditions, including intra aortic balloon pump systems and intra aortic balloon catheters and accessories. The company also provides surgical devices and instruments used in general and specialty surgical procedures, such as ligation and closure products, including appliers, clips, and sutures; access ports used in minimally invasive surgical procedures comprising robotic surgery; fluid management products for chest drainage; and hand-held instruments for general and specialty surgical procedures under t he Deknatel, Pleur-evac, Pilling, Taut, and Weck brand names. In addition, it offers cardiac care products, including diagnostic catheters and capital equipment; instruments and devices for other medical device manufacturers; and customized medical instruments, implants, and components to original equipment manufacturers. The company sells its medical products through its sales forces, and independent representatives and distributor networks. Teleflex Incorporated was founded in 1938 and is based in Limerick, Pennsylvania.
Top 5 Healthcare Equipment Companies To Watch In Right Now: THERMOGENESIS Corp.(KOOL)
ThermoGenesis Corp. designs, develops, and sells medical products that enable the practice of regenerative medicine worldwide. It offers automated and semi-automated devices, and single-use processing disposables that enable the collection, processing, and cryopreservation of stem cells and other cellular tissues used in the practice of regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine is a field that uses cell-based therapies to repair or restore lost or damaged tissue and cell function. The company?s products include the AXP System, a medical device that isolates and retrieves stem cells from umbilical cord blood; the BioArchive System, a robotic cryogenic medical device used by cord blood banks for the cryopreservation and archiving of cord blood stem cell units for transplant; the MarrowXpress or MXP System that isolates and concentrates stem cells from bone marrow; Res-Q 60 BMC, a point-of-care bone marrow stem cell processing system; and Res-Q 60 PRP, which is used for t he preparation of autologous platelet rich plasma from a sample of blood at the point of care. It also offers ThermoLine product line, which includes ultra-rapid plasma ThermoLine Freezer and ultra-rapid plasma ThermoLine Thawer; and CryoSeal System, an automated system, which is used to prepare an autologous hemostatic surgical sealant. ThermoGenesis Corp. was founded in 1986 and is based in Rancho Cordova, California.
Top Specialty Retail Stocks To Own For 2014: Electrometals Technologies Ltd(EMM.AX)
Electrometals Technologies Limited designs, manufactures, and sells patented EMEW electrowinning equipment for the metals processing industry primarily in Australia and Canada. The company?s EMEW technology is used for the recovery of metals, such as gold, silver, platinum, cadmium, cobalt, copper, nickel, tin, zinc, lead, manganese, and various other metals. It also offers various services that include laboratory and test programs, pilot programs, flowsheet and general process development, feasibility studies, and general mining and industrial metal recovery consulting. The company markets its products directly and through agents and partners. Electrometals Technologies Limited is headquartered in Ashmore, Australia. As of June 1, 2011, Electrometals Technologies Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Waverton Holdings, Ltd.
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